The Metropolitan Museum gifted the Mormon Church Joseph Smith’s papyri, revealing the “Book of Abraham” as a fraudulent translation from an Egyptian “Book of Breathings.”

By Jerald and Sandra Tanner In the year 1835 the Mormon people purchased some Egyptian mummies and rolls of papyrus. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, translated a portion of the papyrus and published it under the title “The Book of Abraham.” This book is now found as part of the Pearl of Great Price—one of…

By Jerald and Sandra Tanner Dr. Hugh Nibley, who is supposed to be the Mormon Church’s top authority on the Egyptian language, made this statement: . . . a few faded and tattered little scraps of papyrus may serve to remind the Latter-day Saints of how sadly they have neglected serious education . . . Not only has our…

By Jerald and Sandra Tanner Just as we were ready to print this paper, we received word that Dr. Hugh Nibley, who is supposed to be the Church’s top authority of the Egyptian language, had repudiated Joseph Smith’s Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar. This rumor has now been confirmed. In 1966 we published Joseph Smith’s Egyptian…